All Hail King Henry

Good morning. This is the Opening Drive, the weekly newsletter that brings you the best of the NFL so you’re always the smartest one at the water cooler.

Andy Dalton lights it up, Malik Willis gets his revenge, King Henry gashes the Cowboys for 151-yards, Dolphins legend Mercury Morris passes away, the Chiefs once again win amid a controversial call, and we take a look at the dreaded high ankle sprain and its impact on player performance.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, or 𝕏, or whatever it’s called… every Tuesday we’ll be sharing the Opening Drive Bottom 5 NFL Power Rankings. If your team is in the bottom 5, feel free to overreact. 🤣 Enjoy.

Now, let’s dive in.

QUICK HITS

• Sunday Night Football: Chiefs hang on for 22-17 victory over Falcons (PFT)

• Calls escalate for Roger Goodell to make changes following Chiefs-Falcons game (Athlon Sports)

• Controversial Pitts-Cook no-call draws wide spread criticism (Bleacher Report)

• Andy Dalton throws three TDs, leads Panthers to first win of season (NFL.com)

• Seahawks improve to 3-0 after penalty-filled win against Dolphins (Seattle Times)

• Ravens hold on to win to hand Dallas 2nd straight loss (Yahoo Sports)

• Jared Goff leads Lions past Cardinals in a gritty 20-13 victory

• Lions hold on to beat Cardinals (Detroit News)

• Matthew Stafford, Rams rally to stun 49ers with game-winning field goal (Yahoo Sports)

• Derrick Henry rushes for 151-yards in win over Cowboys (ESPN)

• Justin Fields lights up Chargers as Pittsburgh moves to 3-0 (CBS Sports)

• Saquon's two TD's lift Eagles 15-12 over Saints (NBC Philadelphia)

• Giants get first win of 2024 NFL season in Week 3 at Browns as Daniel Jones, Malik Nabers shine (SNY)

• Giants rookie Malik Nabers makes NFL history as youngest WR with 2-TD game (Yahoo Sports)

• Broncos QB Bo Nix gets first win over Bucs (Mile High Report)

• Vikings QB Sam Darnold ties career high for touchdowns in a single game with four in route of Texans (NY Post)

• Malik Willis leads Green Bay to win in Tennessee (PFT)

• Chargers QB Justin Herbert leaves game with injury (Yahoo Sports)

• Caleb Williams disappoints in third start (Bleacher Report)

• Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey hits 2nd longest field goal in NFL history (Yahoo Sports)

• Dolphins placed QB Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) on injured reserve (NFL.com)

• Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank inducted in the Falcons Ring of Honor (awk), gives away free hot dogs, chips, and unlimited soda to fans (PFT)

• Several teams inquired about trading for Panthers QB Bryce Young after benching (PFT)

• Aaron Rodgers turns in 'really special night' to lead Jets past Patriots in MetLife return (NFL.com)

• Panthers QB Bryce Young expected to start again this season (NFL.com)

• Eli Manning leads 1st-time HOF nominees for Class of 2025 (ESPN)

• Bengals-Chiefs Sunday night game drew an average of 27.8 million viewers, making it their most-watched September game since 1998 (Yahoo Sports)

• Dolphins legend Mercury Morris dies at 77; key member of famous undefeated 1972 Miami team (CBS Sports)

WHO’S UP? WHO’S DOWN?

Who’s up?
Malik Willis. When starting QB Jordan Love went down with an injury, all eyes turned to backup Malik Willis. The former Titans draft pick has seized the opportunity, leading the Packers to back-to-back wins, including an impressive 30-14 victory over his former team in Tennessee.

Willis was simply sensational in his return to Tennessee, putting on an absolute clinic against the team that traded him away just before the season began. The young quarterback carved up the Titans defense, going 13/19 for 202 yards through the air while adding 73 yards on the ground with his legs. Willis accounted for two total touchdowns and posted a stellar 120.9 passer rating.

The revenge narrative only added more fuel to Willis' fire as he looked poised and confident running Green Bay's offense, making plays with both his arm and legs. He was simply unstoppable, leaving his former team wondering what could have been.

With Love's timetable for return still unclear, Willis is doing exactly what the Packers brought him in to do - be a dynamic playmaker capable of winning games. The Green Bay faithful have to be absolutely thrilled with how their young backup has performed under the bright lights so far. If this is just the beginning for Malik Willis, the NFL had better watch out.

Who’s down?
Nick Sirianni. Nick Sirianni is quickly earning a reputation as the NFL's most reckless gambler not named Jon Gruden. The eccentric Eagles head coach was at it again in week 3, making a series of baffling decisions that nearly cost Philadelphia a winnable game against the Saints.

With the Eagles trailing 3-0 late in the first half, Sirianni had a chance to knot the score with an easy chip shot field goal on 4th-and-1 from the New Orleans 15-yard line. Instead, he got too cute, leaving his offense on the field for a trick play that was snuffed out, resulting in a turnover on downs. It was a head-scratching call considering the Eagles were getting the ball back after halftime.

Sirianni doubled down on the aggression to start the third quarter, bypassing another makeable field goal attempt on 4th-and-3 from the Saints 34. This time Jalen Hurts was sacked, killing another promising drive. The FOX cameras panned to furious Eagles fans as boos rained down from the Superdome stands.

The madness continued in the fourth quarter when Sirianni allowed kicker Jake Elliott to attempt an ill-advised 60-yard field goal with 6:41 left, his career long being 61 yards. The missed kick set up the Saints with a short field, which they converted into the go-ahead touchdown.

Sirianni's reckless decision-making has been a disturbing trend dating back to last season. While an aggressive mindset can be an asset, his inability to make situationally-sound choices is quickly becoming a detriment. The Eagles managed to overcome his curious calls and escape New Orleans with a 15-12 victory, but they may not be so fortunate going forward.

NUMBERS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The data behind recovering from a high ankle sprain.

It's been a rough start to the season for Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. The young star suffered a high ankle sprain in week 2 against the Carolina Panthers and then aggravated the injury in week 3. Herbert was forced to leave the game in a 20-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

High ankle sprains are notoriously tricky injuries that can linger for weeks or even months. These types of sprains occur higher up the leg, affecting the syndesmosis joint between the tibia and fibula bones. Unlike a regular ankle sprain, high ankle sprains often take much longer to heal properly.

Recent studies show that in the NFL, isolated high ankle sprains are actually quite rare. Most of these injuries also involve damage to other ligaments and even small fractures. This can extend recovery times significantly, in some cases up to 8 months before a player is back to 100%.

High ankle sprains have a habit of worsening over time if not given proper rest and rehab. With the Chargers sitting at 1-2, they'll need their star QB healthy if they want to turn their season around.

Even if Herbert can play through the pain, the injury is likely to sap some of his elite mobility and athleticism. High ankle sprains can rob players of the explosiveness that makes them so dangerous. Chargers fans will be holding their breath, hoping Herbert's ankle holds up as the season goes on.

Did you know?

🏈 A study published in the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine found that from 2015-2018, there were 668 ankle injuries in the NFL, with an average cumulative incidence across the 3 seasons of 11.2% and RTP rate of 91%.
🏈 The number of ankle injuries in the NFL was 290 in 2015, 172 in 2016, and 206 in 2017.
🏈 The cumulative incidence (percentage) of ankle injuries was 14.8% in 2015, 8.6% in 2016, and 10.3% in 2017, with an average of 11.2% across all three seasons.
🏈 Excluding season-ending injuries, the average number of games missed across all positions for high ankle sprain injuries from 2019-2021 was 3.34 games.

BEST LOOK 🔥 

These Vikings throwbacks are excellent.

All black for the Cardinals looked great.

STAT OF THE WEEK

With their win on Thursday night, Aaron Rodgers is the first Jets QB to beat the Patriots in primetime since Brett Favre in 2008. 🤯 

MEME OF THE WEEK

#TitanUp ⚔️ 

🧀 

Poor Kyler.🤏 

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